Top Trump adviser continues public crusade against Mitt Romney as secretary of state

President-elect Donald Trump's former campaign manager again strongly suggested on Sunday that his supporters would not back former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for secretary of state.

Kellyanne Conway, one of Trump's top advisers, told CNN's Dana Bash that while she hoped Romney would be a gracious secretary of state if selected, his aggressive criticism of Trump during the 2016 Republican primary did not sit well with the president-elect's supporters.

"It's just breathtaking in scope and intensity the type of messages I have received from all over the country," Conway said. "The number of people who feel betrayed to think that Governor Romney would get the most prominent Cabinet post, after he went so far out of his way to hurt Donald Trump — there was the Never Trump movement, and then there was Mitt Romney."

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Kellyanne Conway on the campaign trail

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway is pictured during a meeting with Trump's Hispanic Advisory Council at Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., August 20, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway (L) is pictured during a meeting with Trump's Hispanic Advisory Council at Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., August 20, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump stands near his campaign manager Kellyanne Conway (L) before being introduced for the Commander in Chief Forum in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September 7, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and Paul Manafort of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's staff speak during a round table discussion on security at Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., August 17, 2016. Picture taken August 17, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway (L) and Paul Manafort, staff of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, speak during a round table discussion on security at Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., August 17, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

UNITED STATES - JUNE 18: Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, talks with Kellyanne Conway at the Faith & Freedom Coalitions Road to Majority conference which featured speeches by conservative politicians at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, June 18, 2015. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

UNITED STATES - JUNE 18: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, greets Kellyanne Conway at the Faith & Freedom Coalitions Road to Majority conference which featured speeches by conservative politicians at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, June 18, 2015. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

UNITED STATES - JUNE 18: Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., talks with Kellyanne Conway at the Faith & Freedom Coalitions Road to Majority conference which featured speeches by conservative politicians at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, June 18, 2015. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Kellyanne Conway, president and chief executive officer of Polling Co. Inc./Woman Trend, smiles during an interview on 'With All Due Respect' in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, July 5, 2016. Asked how Trump reassures conservatives about his positions on issues such as abortion without losing ground with voters in the center, Republican pollster Conway, one of Trump's new senior strategists, said he would work to shift the spotlight to Clinton. Photographer: Chris Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images

She added: "If president-elect Trump chooses Mitt Romney as his secretary of state, or whomever he chooses, that will have the full support and backing of all of us. I respect the brilliance and judgment and sheer instincts of president-elect Trump to form his Cabinet as he wishes. But I felt compelled to come forward on behalf of the people who were weighing in."

Conway argued that Romney "attacked [Trump's] character." She also noted that several of the former governor's staffers were highly critical of the now-president-elect and questioned whether Romney had the appropriate foreign-policy credentials to deserve the position.

"Has he been around the globe doing something on behalf of the United States, of which we're unaware?" Conway said. "I'm all for party unity, but I'm not sure that we have to pay for that with the secretary of state position."

After tweeting earlier this week that she'd received messages from supporters voicing their displeasure with Romney, Conway repeated to ABC's Martha Raddatz on Sunday that Romney "went out of his way" to criticize Trump.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Fox News host Sean Hannity last week both voiced displeasure at reports that Trump was considering Romney over former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Though Giuliani was an early frontrunner for the post, Trump was reportedlyconcerned by potential Republican opposition to Giuliani based on his complicated business ties abroad and his overt public campaigning for the job.